St. Eustatius Crisis Manager Andre Bennett (right) speaking to his colleagues at the meeting.
ST. EUSTATIUS--St. Eustatius’ Office of Disaster Management (ODM) joined regional partners last week in the annual tsunami exercise coordinated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The initiative, known as the Caribe Wave Exercise, aims to strengthen local preparedness and response in the event of a tsunami.
This year’s simulation took the form of a tabletop exercise, engaging representatives of the island’s Incident Command Structure.
Participants worked through various disaster response scenarios, testing communication protocols, coordination capabilities and decision-making processes under simulated emergency conditions. The meeting was held at the Emergency Operations Centre.
The session concluded with an evaluation, with participants describing the exercise as a success. Lessons learned and areas for improvement will inform future training and emergency response planning, the St. Eustatius government said in a Facebook post.
Crisis Manager Andre Bennett said the exercise underscored the importance of continuous readiness and regional cooperation in the face of natural disasters.
“These drills allow us to fine-tune our systems and ensure we are ready to respond swiftly and effectively should the need arise,” he said.
